Beaming Saera Wilson has married the man who saved her life during the Tunisian terror attack that left 30 British holidaymakers dead.

Mathew James and Saera - whom he shielded from gunman Seifeddine Rezgui’s Kalashnikov - released two white doves of peace after the ceremony as a poignant reminder of those who could not be at the wedding - including the victims of the atrocity.

In her traditional white dress, Seara, 27, kissed heroic Mathew, 32, who was shot three times when he dived in front of his fiancee during the massacre in Sousse.

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Among her four bridesmaids was Saera’s daughter Teagan, eight, who walked down a hotel’s aisle first wearing a mini version of her mum’s gown.

The couple also have son Caden, two.

(Image: Alix Jones/Flashback photography)

And the wedding was funded thanks to donations from wellwishers and the volunteers including Amore Events wedding organiser, Gemma Louise Lang and Village Flower Studio.

The day was organised through ITV's Lorraine programme and was held at Cardiff's The New House Country Hotel who donated the wedding reception, food, room hire, drinks package and the bridal suite after the couple said it was their dream wedding venue.

It was the day Saera and Mathew feared they would never have but after the couple exchanged vows in front of 120 family and friends, they left the wedding to the sound of Bryan Adams’ song “Everything I Do (I Do It For You) - an apt choice for a man who almost sacrificed his life for love.

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And while traumatic memories have been brought back with the beginning of the inquest into the June 2015 deaths of the British victims, the couple were determinedly defiant.

The service was a fresh start for the couple, who were smitten since they first met at a Cardiff nightclub - and a chance to put the trauma they have gone through during the past 20 months behind them.

(Image: Alix Jones/Flashback photography)

Yet Saera admitted her big day was a “bitter sweet” experience because of the ongoing suffering for all the victims of the attack in Sousse.

Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, Saera was emotional after the service, saying: “To us this is a new chapter because we get to put it behind us and move on.

“Everyone says they are marrying their best friend on their wedding day, which is true.

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“I’m in constant pain. I try not to use the morphine unless I have to because it is so addictive.”

Armed policeman on the beach near the RIU Imperial Marhaba hotel in Sousse, at the time of the attack (Image: Steve Parsons/PA Wire)

And Mathew has been offered extra medical help to his ongoing problems by the surgeon Dr Younis who saved his life.

But the groom said: “I’m not going back. No way. As much as I would like to thank Dr Younis, I couldn’t go back.”

And while they were upbeat over their big day, they openly admit the psychological trauma they suffered has been devastating.

Saera, who helps Mathew with the accounts for his company, said: “We were both diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety problems and we go for counselling.”

Matthew recovering from his wounds (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE)

The couple even normally stay away from crowded places and Mathew’s panic attacks are particularly severe, according to his bride.

She said: “When the fireworks were going off at the re-naming of the Millennium Stadium, he was on the phone in a state telling me to check the news or else he couldn’t leave the house where he was doing a job.

He added: “I still get really bad nightmares. Whenever it’s brought back up, I will spend the next week waking up in a sweat.”

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But it was on an occasion when Mathew was awake, though still heavily medicated, that the couple had their most frightening experience last summer.

The 16-stone former rugby prop forward had been hit by the tragic news of one of his friends being killed in a car crash and another seriously injured in another incident and had become so paranoid he began to convince himself he was genuinely cursed.

On one occasion Saera even had to enlist the help of police liaison officers from the Counter Terrorism unit who had been assigned to them.

The couple have supported each other through tough times (Image: Craig Hibbert)

Mathew admitted he was prepared to drive his van off a cliff and kill himself.

He said: “I just lost the plot and started thinking this thing was going to make me kill myself or it would kill my family.

“It sounds absolutely ridiculous now, but at the time it was terrifying. I was taking a lot of morphine for the pain, which doesn’t help you think straight. That’s when I stopped taking that stuff.”

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He added: “There have been more lows. At first when I got home I was having all these panic attacks. I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was going to die. I didn’t like going out in the car. I wouldn’t go into Cardiff city centre because I was too worried.

“Me and Saera suffered a lot. We would come home after a day in a bit of mess and snap at each other. It’s not been an easy ride.

“We’ve even had a few nights away from each other.

“But it’s probably made us stronger. We’ve been through a lot more than most people could even dream of.”